April is Earth Month & Earth Day is April 22, 2023

The Earth is a big, beautiful, complex place, and there is no other place like it (that we know of), which is why we recognize Earth Day and Earth Month and try to protect our planet.

In Spring 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day to address the issue of environmental quality and resources conservation into the political agenda. On April 22, 1970, an estimated 20 million people nationwide attended inaugural climate events across the United States. In December 1970, Congress authorized the creation of a new federal agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Every year, throughout the month of April and on April 22 for “Earth Day,” marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. It’s a time to raise environmental awareness and create consciousness around the issues that affect the Earth. (For more information, check out: The History of Earth Day – Earth Day).

The Butterfly Effect & How We Can Make a Difference

It is easy to feel small and insignificant as we stand on the surface of our planet amidst nearly 8 billion other humans. I sometimes catch myself wondering how I can make a difference as just one person when the problems our planet and species face can seem so enormous and insurmountable. However, the great potential impact of the Butterfly Effect reminds me to choose hope and action.

The butterfly effect is the idea that small, seemingly trivial events may ultimately result in something with much larger consequences – in other words, they have non-linear impacts on very complex systems. For instance, when a butterfly flaps its wings in India, that tiny change in air pressure could eventually cause a tornado in Iowa. The term “butterfly effect” was coined in the 1960s by Edward Lorenz, a meteorology professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was studying weather patterns. He devised a model demonstrating that if you compare two starting points indicating current weather that are near each other, they’ll soon drift apart – and later, one area could wind up with severe storms, while the other is calm. (Reference: What Is the Butterfly Effect and How Do We Misunderstand It? | HowStuffWorks).

Like a butterfly flapping its weeks, our decisions and actions may seem too small to have a significant impact on the world around us. However, even in our own lives, we can often point to pivotal forks in the road or how we responded to random events that changed the trajectory of our life journeys. In the same way, our words and actions can and do have significant impacts on others around us, our communities and the planet Earth. The butterfly effect rest on the premise that our world is deeply interconnected, and so one small occurrence can influence a much larger more complex system. While we can’t always predict or track down the total impact of our actions, we can know that what we do matters and makes a difference. (Reference: The Butterfly Effect – The Decision Lab.)

And we are not alone! I am encouraged by the many brilliant, smart people in our communities and around the world that are taking action everyday for the betterment and protection of Earth.

AT&T Corporate Social Responsibility Offers Many Volunteer Opportunities

AT&T and oxyGEN, along with many other employee groups are fully engaged in promoting sustainability this earth month and throughout the year. One of AT&T’s two corporate social responsibility initiatives is to reduce global emissions enough to power more than 22 million homes for a year. AT&T has committed to be carbon neutral across our entire global operations by 2035. AT&T is also assessing the risks of climate change to our business using our industry-leading Climate Change Analysis Tool enables us to better anticipate, prepare for and adapt to the changing climate.

AT&T is addressing climate change because it impacts our operations, our people and the communities where we live and work. oxyGEN is also looking for ways to partner with the AT&T CSR team and support environmental initiatives because this is . There are numerous AT&T Community Engagement Volunteer Opportunities during Earth Month this year. You can donate your unwanted personal technology to help students facing the digital divide, leverage technology to reduce your own carbon footprint, sign up to be an Environmental Community Champion, and more.

I hope you will spread your wings like a butterfly this Earth Month and take action! There are so many ways that you can make a difference and even a small act can have butterfly effect.

Let’s fly,

Betsy

oxyGEN Chief of Staff

Betsy Harmse
Betsy HarmseChief of Staff